First off, thanks for all your awesome comments and suggestions on yesterday’s, er, mildly uncomfortable post. I really appreciate how helpful you all are, and will definitely be implementing some of these strategies!

So with all my proclamations about how I’m changing up my diet and whatnot for my renewed weight loss, I imagine there be at least one or two of you out there who are curious as to what kind of stuff I’ve been eating lately. No? Well, I’m going to tell you anyway, so tough cookies. (Spoiler alert: cookies are, sadly, not something I’ve been eating.)

As a refresher, I’m embracing more protein and fats in my diet, and trying to actively reduce the number of refined carbs and excess sugar I consume. I’m certainly not carb-free or any such nonsense, and I allow myself the lenience to follow my cravings/not deprive myself (within reason). So when my future sister-in-law baked up a batch of awesome blueberry breakfast muffins, OBVIOUSLY I partook. I just slathered some coconut oil on it first. Thus far, I’m finding that aside from the issue I discussed (a little too openly) yesterday, I’m actually feeling pretty good. My periods of satiety are longer, so I’m actually not eating as frequently, and, as you guys know, I’ve lost over four pounds in the past month (which, granted, isn’t a rocketship pace, but considering how badly things were going for my weight loss before, I am pretty ecstatic).

Now because I’ve been absolutely heinous about taking pictures of my food lately as well (WHAT KIND OF BLOGGER AM I!?!), so you might be seeing a few repeat pictures here. But they illustrate the right kind of things, and primarily I’ll be painting you a picture with my words anyway. So, it’s cool. ‘Cause I’m, like, a writer. Kinda.

Anyway! A typical day of eats in my life these days, subject to frequent changes and falling-off-the-wagon… but it’s all about the effort, right? Heh.

Okay, breakfasts. This has really been the biggest overhaul, since most of my experience with breakfasts come in the form of cereal and/or bagels, neither of which fit into the new parameters of my diet. So typically, I’m having something like smoked salmon & cream cheese roll ups, or high-protein toast with half a mashed avocado and an egg patty on top. Both of these are delicious, fairly portable, and really (REALLY) satiating. I usually have some fruit, too–a pear, apple, or some grapes. f I’ve premade breakfasts earlier in the week, like my smoked salmon eggs cups, I can just heat those up and get going. If I have the time to actually sit down and eat breakfast instead of being in the car and cramming bites into my mouth between stoplights, I might do up some eggs and bacon.

I’ve been finding these breakfasts keep me seriously full until lunchtime, so I’ve eliminated my need for mid-morning snacks. Which is good, because these breakfasts are higher in calories than, say, a bowl of Special K Red Berries with almond milk. But obviously it all works out!

Okay, so lunch–if I’ve been good about packing my lunch–generally is either dinner leftovers from the night before (which is the best when I’ve had STEAK FOR DINNER AHAHAHA), or strange little ensemble tasting plates. I’ve gotten REALLY into just like, a ton of different snacks, combined into lunch, lately. So, things like baby carrots and celery with hummus or sunbutter, a few slices of aged cheddar, grapes, lunch meat roll-ups, any leftover chicken/steak I might have, a Babybel cheese wheel, a hardboiled egg… etc, etc, etc. It’s fun, because it allows me a lot of variety in my lunches, and easy, because you can just store everything separately in the fridge, and grab whatevery you’re vibing on that morning.

Of course, I fall victim to the laziness of not packing/forgetting my lunch more often than is probably good, at which point I really have to steel myself against all the awesomeness that the food trucks bring to the area where I work on a daily basis. I mean, yes, there is a mac and cheese truck… and a grilled cheese truck… and lots of pho trucks… and an empanada truck… okay, I need to stop. Anyway, I often talk about how I don’t feel you have to give up going out for dinner or trying new restaurants (two of my favorite things) in order to lose weight, and buying lunch is no different. It’s just about finding something that fits. There are places nearby that offer great salad options, there’s a sushi truck, and tons of halal trucks that offer awesome meats served over salad, with chickpeas or spinach on the side. Om nom nom. Can you blame me for occasionally forgetting my lunch at home?

Aaaand, dinner. This is really the wildest card. I have dinner at my parents’ house once a week, and still tend to eat out quite a bit. But when it comes to cooking (if I’ve been good about grocery shopping) a lot of the time it’ll be something like marinated baked chicken or grilled steak with veggies (green beans, aparagus, brussels sprouts cooked in olive or coconut oil) and probably a salad on the side. If I’m feeling fancy, there might be shrimp or scallops involved, hehe. And there might also be some rice if I’m having dinner with Sean (he’s a rice man through and through, and I don’t say that because he’s half-Asian, I say it because I literally think if rice were the only food left on the planet, he would still be a very happy guy).

Half of this gorgeous filet would go on to become part of my lunch the next day.

Of course, as mentioned above, we still eat out kind a lot. I’m trying to be better about only eating out on the weekends, though it really is something I enjoy, so it’s tough. But from both a health- and monetary-standpoint, I know it’s something I need to work on. All that said, I just want to reemphasize the part about how it is still possible to eat healthy/in line with your current dietary preferences even at a restaurant. It’s just all about making certain choices, and not being afraid to ask about possible substitutions and whatnot.

Okay! So there we go! This ended up being a much wordier post than I was anticipating, so I’ll cut myself off here. Feel free to weigh in with any comments you may have about my current eats–I really value the insight that I glean from you guys. Plus, I know that someone out there has to have an opinion of some kind. 😉

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10 Comments

I go out to eat a lot too. It’s hard when you want to try every new restaurant ever. 🙂 On a totally unrelated note, salmon roll-ups are a great idea, I need to get the goods to make those at the store next week!

Don’t downplay the four pounds you’ve lost, Gretchen! That’s four pounds you are no longer carrying around on your body. Go pick up a cast iron skillet or a laptop and imagine having to carry it around all day. Sure, it might be easy enough at the beginning, but by the end of the day, you’re probably going to be tired!

Any weight loss is GOOD weight loss! I have to keep reminding myself that I do not live inside The Biggest Loser and as long as the scale is going down, no matter how infinitesimally, I am on the right track.

For the past year or so I’ve really been working on reversing my lunch and dinner–when I get home in the evenings now, I spend the majority of my cooking time preparing a high-protein, veggie-packed, and flavorful lunch for the next day. Then for dinner I’ll usually have a bit of whatever lunch creation I whipped up, and/or the “snack plate” you’ve described in this post, and/or a protein shake, depending on my workout schedule. I’ve found that my body is much, much happier this way, and it’s easier to combat the fact that my office shares a building with Corner Bakery. I don’t even have to go outside to get a muffin. They did this on purpose.

Ah eating out is so fun but it can be a total killer! My daily eats rotate with the week. My breakfast is 3 eggs over easy, 1/2 sweet potato (microwave in water, 3 min), 1/2 small avocado and hot sauce, seriously amazing. That keeps me full through a 11am work out and then I eat lunch. Lunches and dinners this week are either A) pulled buffalo chicken and collard greens or B) tofu and vegetable curry over couscous. I like to use my crock pot to make large batches of meat (pulled pork, pulled chicken, soups, stews) and then I keep fresh vegetables around to mix things ups!

I’m totally struggling with the eating out conundrum as well! I’m in a new(ish) relationship and he loves to eat dinner out. As of late, I finally shared with him we had to cut back because of my weight loss goals and he was right on par with me. I’m also trying to cut out grains/refined sugars!
4 lbs is awesome!! If I see a pound a week, I’m totally psyched.

Also – Thanks for sharing so much! Keep telling it like it is! Everybody poops. Or wants to. Haha.

I started eating big salads for lunch made of greens and whatever vegetables I have lying around, including roasted white or sweet potato usually. Then I feel like the pressure’s off and I can have a small, simple dinner without worrying that I haven’t eaten enough plants that day 🙂

I’ve found that packing lunch is key to staying on track nutritionally for me too! If I don’t bring lunch to work and instead plan to go out and buy something, I almost always put it off because I’m in the middle of something, get way too hungry, and either give in to the pastries that are inevitably in the staff kitchen, or buy something really unhealthy for lunch. I’d be ALL over that mac & cheese truck! I’m totally on board with having an ensemble of foods for lunch too. I’m not a fan of the traditional sandwich, so more often I have cheese, Triscuits, fruit, etc. or some kind of soup.

It looks like you’re eating some really good stuff… and 4 pounds is proof of that! That’s totally sustainable pace, and nothing to make light of. 4 pounds is 4 pounds!

Long time stalker, ahem, blog reader, first time poster here. Hi! So I started my weight loss journey about 4 years ago now. I started out around 225 lbs (which was alot for my 5’4″ frame). The first year I lost about 70 lbs and maintained that. My lowest weight was 2 summers ago at 148. I creeped back up to about 162 over the holidays and decided I felt so much better at 148. I started tracking my food again, working out, nothing. Nada. I’d been reading alot about Paleo and decided to give it a try. I am not 100% paleo but pretty darn close. In 3 weeks I’ve lost 7 lbs and I haven’t done any exercise except going to dance class once a week. I feel so much better off grains and dairy and added sugar/junk.

Congrats on the 4 lb loss! The only reason I mentioned paleo is because it sounds like you’re kinda sorta going in that direction. Best of luck and I’ll be reading. 🙂

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Hi! I'm Gretchen: 31 years old, Whasian, and navigating life as a married mama to my toddler + one on the way, and fur-mom to my mini schnauzer, Daxter (RIP my best boy, Harry). I'm a hair dye enthusiast, dumpling connoisseur, and am obsessed with anything (everything!) Harry Potter. Thanks for stopping by!